Heiko Maas: Ball is clearly in Russia‘s court as far as preservation of INF Treaty is concerned

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has given an interview to Interfax ahead of his visit to Moscow in which he speaks about Germany‘s position on the INF Treaty and the Ukrainian settlement.

Question: Foreign Minister, initial talks on the INF disarmament treaty have yielded no results. Nevertheless, the Russian foreign minister continues to rely on dialogue with the U.S. as a priority and has called on European countries to lend their support to the negotiations. Is that what you intend to do?

Answer: The INF Treaty is an important pillar of the European security architecture. We all have an interest in preserving this agreement, and I am committed to this cause. Talks on the INF Treaty have been taking place between the U.S. and Russia for five years. The fact that there are considerable doubts and concerns has been conveyed to Russia in all sorts of talks - without achieving a solution to date. Russia can save the Treaty by dismantling cruise missiles that violate the agreement. Returning to compliance and safeguarding the INF Treaty are, incidentally, still on the table even after a possible suspension. The ball is clearly in Russia‘s court.

Q.: How are the talks in the Normandy format proceeding, and what do you want to discuss with Sergei Lavrov and Pavlo Klimkin on Friday? Can your trip be interpreted as a renewed attempt to act as a mediator between the two countries?

A.: The situation in eastern Ukraine is untenable. Shots are still being fired on a daily basis and the suffering of the people in the Donbass region is immeasurable, particularly in the winter months. Russia should bring its influence to bear in order to facilitate a peaceful solution. We urgently need to make progress in the Minsk process. I will make the case for this in Kyiv as well, and this is also on the agenda of the talks that we are conducting in the Normandy format.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has given an interview to Interfax in which he speaks about results of the trilateral meeting on Afghanistan settlement that took place in Moscow on April 25, prospects of the intra-Afghan meeting in Doha, and Russia‘s role in the Afghan issue.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has given an interview to Interfax ahead of the Alliance‘s 70th anniversary that is to be celebrated on April 4. He speaks in the interview about the NATO‘s vision of future relations with Russia, its attitude to the situation surrounding the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) Treaty and the New START Treaty, as well as further plans of expanding the Alliance.

British Ambassador to Russia Laurie Bristow has given an interview to Interfax in which he speaks about the current situation in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia, the impact of the Skripal case on it, the restoration of the numbers of diplomatic staff, exchange of information on counter-terrorism, possible introduction of sanctions over the Kerch Strait incident, the INF Treaty, and British-Russian economic relations.

Qatari Ambassador to Russia Fahad bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah has given an interview to Interfax in which he speaks about the consequences of sanctions against Qatar, the normalization of relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Syrian crisis, and gas relations with Russia.

UNHCR Middle East and North Africa Bureau Director and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Iraq and Syria Situations Amin Awad has visited Moscow for consultations with representatives of various Russian agencies and given an interview to Interfax in which he speaks about the humanitarian situation in Syria, Libya, and Yemen, as well as the migrant crisis in Europe.

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